Buffalo Bob Smith with one of the original Howdy Doody puppets Oct. 7, 1997

AP/Marty Lederhandler

Buffalo Bob Smith holds one of three original Howdy Doody puppets Oct. 7, 1997, during a call-in auction of Howdy Doody memorabilia at a restaurant in New York. The original freckle-faced marionette belongs to the Detroit Institute of Arts, a federal judge said in a ruling that clears the way for Howdy to join the likes of Punch and Judy, Kermit the Frog and other puppets in the museum's collection. The ruling settles a custody battle of sorts between the museum and the family of the late Rufus Rose, the puppeteer of Howdy Doody.

Buffalo Bob Smith holds one of three original Howdy Doody puppets Oct. 7, 1997, during a call-in auction of Howdy Doody memorabilia at a restaurant in New York. The original freckle-faced marionette belongs to the Detroit Institute of Arts, a federal judge said in a ruling that clears the way for Howdy to join the likes of Punch and Judy, Kermit the Frog and other puppets in the museum's collection. The ruling settles a custody battle of sorts between the museum and the family of the late Rufus Rose, the puppeteer of Howdy Doody. (AP/Marty Lederhandler)

Buffalo Bob Smith holds one of three original Howdy Doody puppets Oct. 7, 1997, during a call-in auction of Howdy Doody memorabilia at a restaurant in New York. The original freckle-faced marionette belongs to the Detroit Institute of Arts, a federal judge said in a ruling that clears the way for Howdy to join the likes of Punch and Judy, Kermit the Frog and other puppets in the museum's collection. The ruling settles a custody battle of sorts between the museum and the family of the late Rufus Rose, the puppeteer of Howdy Doody.